Max ludwig



f DRESS STAY.

'No.538 ,387. Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

INVENTOR:

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NITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

MAX LUDWIG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DRESS-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,337, dated April30, 1895. Application filed September 18,1894.. Serial No. 523,373. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, MAX LUDWIG, a citizen of the United States, residingin the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Dress-Stays, of which t-he following is aspecication.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the class of dress-stayswherein elastic metal strips are inserted in pockets formed in a textilecovering. It is desirable in a dress-stay that it shall be broad andcapable of being twisted torsionally to some extent without injury; andalso that it shall be more flexible and yielding at the end-portion thanat the middle part, and especially at that end-portion which is to beuppermost in the dresswaist.

The object of my invention is to provide a dress-stay which shall havethe above-described advantages and also others which will be explainedhereinafter. l

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated an embodiment of theinvention.

Figure l is a face-view of the stay, parts of the outer covering beingremoved at two points to disclose the metal strips. Figs. 2 and 4 arecross-sections of the stay, on a large scale, the points where thesections are taken being indicated at lines 2, 2, and 4, 4, respectivelyin Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailviewwhichwillbehereinafterdescribed. Fig. is a face-view of the stayprovided with a flexible portion at both ends, as will be explainedhereinafter.

Referring primarily to Figs. l to 4, a is the textile casing, havingformed in it three longitudinally arranged pockets, and b, bx, b arethree strips of elastic metal, as spring steel, placed in the saidpockets. These form a wide stay and the three strips of metal are soplaced as to leave comparatively wide spaces a.' between them wherebythe stay is capable of being twisted torsionally with ease and withoutinjury to the stay. This spacing is clearly shown in the several views.The middle strip hx, is shorter than those at the sides and near the endof said strip bx, is set a double eyelet, c, the members of which occupythe spaces o: between it and the adjacent strips and serve to distancethe strips as clearly seen in Fig. 8, and also as a convenience forstitching the stay at this point to the dress, the needle being passedthroughvthe eyelet holes. Beyond this point, upward, the stay has buttwo metal strips whereby this end-portion of the stay is rendered moreflexible and yielding than the main portion. At the upper end of thestay is the cap-piece, CZ, of textile material, secured in place by aclip or spangle, e, situated between the strips b, b, at this point. Atits other end the stay has a double eyelet, ex, to

secure the cap-piece and for the additional purpose of providing aconvenience for stitching the stay to the dress at this point. Theeyelet is omitted from the upper end of the stay as it is not desirablethat the stay shall be sewed to the dress at this end.

The stay illustrated in Fig. 5 differs from that described only inhaving both of its extremities constructed like the upper end of thestay seen in Fig. l.

The casing a, will, by preference, be of textile material and have `thepockets formed in it by weaving; but it might be of leather, felt, orsimilar soft, flexible material and have the pockets formed bystitching.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A dress-stay comprisinga casing of soft, flexible material with three longitudinal pockets andthree strips of elastic or spring metal in said pockets, the middlestrip being shorter than the other two, and means for spacing apart anddistancin g said strips, substantially as set forth.

2. A dress-stay comprising a casing ot' soft, flexible material withthree longitudinal pockets and three strips of elastic or spring metalin the said pockets, the middle strip, bx, be-

ing shorter than the other two, and a double eyelet c, in the casingnear the end of the' shorter strip, and a cap-piece d, on the end of thestay, held in place by a spangle, e, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing -witnesses MAX LUDWIG.

Witnesses:

PETER A. Ross, J. D. CAPLINGER.

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